Board discourages school personnel from shooting course

January 12, 2013

EAST LIVERPOOL - Employees in the city school district will be discouraged from taking a shooting course being offered through the state's attorney general that one board member said is the first step in having armed school personnel.

Member Richard Wolf referred to a recent announcement by Attorney General Mike DeWine that the Ohio Police Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) will hold a one-day Active Shooter Response Training for Educators course across the state this year.

"Obviously, this is the first step in arming school personnel," Wolf said, also saying "there are many empty minds" who hope to seize their 15 minutes of fame with such events as the recent deadly shooting in a Connecticut school.

He moved to send a letter to DeWine's and other agencies in opposition to the shooting course and also to encourage district employees to refuse to participate in the course, which was passed unanimously, with member Scott Dieringer absent.

Another motion by Wolf to increase security at the Potters Fieldhouse failed for lack of a second.

He said the Fieldhouse is the "most vulnerable" of the district's facilities, with constant traffic in and out and little supervision of who comes and goes.

A motion to install an electronic monitoring system at the entrances was not afforded a second by other members.

The board did vote in favor of a motion to purchase a BioMetric time clock system from TimeQPlus of Raleigh, N.C. at an initial cost of $2,620 after a presentation by district employee Nate Aldrich.

Superintendent James Herring reported that the Ohio State Highway Patrol conducted a "spot" inspection of 12 buses and each passed, for which he congratulated the transportation department.

He also reported that LaCroft fourth-grade teacher Phillip Davis had won a national contest for the Discovery Channel and will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the national science fair in Phoenix.

In observance of School Board Recognition Month, Herring presented certificates of appreciation to board members, noting each member's consecutive years of service: Scott Dieringer, five: Robert Estell, five; Janice Martin, six years, three months; Larry Walton, seven; and Richard Wolf, three (31 years total).

In presenting the certificates, Herring said, "People don't realize the hours behind the scenes by the board. You really have to love a school district to be on the board."